Three Ways To Maintain Gutters

Gutters are an important part of a home’s waterproofing system. Gutters work to direct water away from your home. They help prevent flooding, water leaks, and the buildup of moisture inside your house. Therefore, maintaining your gutters can help protect your home. Here are three simple ways to maintain your gutters to keep them working great.

Clean Your Gutters

Good gutter maintenance begins by keeping them clean and free of debris. If you live in an area with trees, often times leaves will clog gutters. Also roofing materials, like stones and tiles can collect in your gutters. This debris creates a buildup that needs to be cleaned out routinely. The best times to clean your gutters is after Fall when all the leaves have fallen off the trees and first thing in Spring after the damage of the harsh weather of winter. You can clean gutters by manually cleaning them by scooping out the debris or you can buy an attachment for your hose that will spray the leaves and debris out of your gutters.

Downspout Maintenance

A lot of times the debris that collects in your gutters can flow into your downspout and cause a blockage so the water cannot get through. If the downspout is blocked the gutters will overflow and the water will drop to the ground right next to the basement wall. To prevent this you want to clean your downspouts. Also your downspouts can get damaged by landscaping activities like mowing and weed whacking. Sometimes these tools can crush the ends of the downspout and backup the water. Downspouts can also get detached from the gutter system by strong winds. If that happens, the water will flow directly down your walls. So you should make sure your downspouts are free of debris by cleaning them. Also check visually to make sure they in good working condition and attached to the gutter system.

Directing The Flow Of Water

You want to direct the flow of water from your gutters as far away from your home if possible. There are many kinds of downspouts extensions and splash plates that can help direct the water. Directing the water away from your home in areas where the landscape grading is flat is extremely important. You can check the flow of water by running water from a hose through your gutter system and make sure that the water running out of your downspouts is directed away from your house. If it is not, you may want to add extensions and splash plates where necessary.

Gutter maintenance is a simple way to help prevent water damage in your home. However, if you gutters have not been properly maintained or have failed during a bad storm, our experts at AA Action Waterproofing can help. They can fix any water damage and make recommendations to improve your gutter system to ensure your gutters are working to protect your home.